@ckr1969
Then it must have been a poor setup. As a former WATTS/Puppy owner for decades, the last thing they lack - even though this WATT is a newer one - was "realism." BUT, I found them more realistic with tubes, which was annoying due to that 1.7 impedance dip. Still, tubes made the eyes bulge - even back in 1987. And i attend symphonies monthly, so "realism" is something I’m acquainted with.
I find so many people (not necessarily pointing to you, ckr) don’t realize that a setup at a dealer’s isn’t necessarily all that good. I heard my Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes at Lyric Hi Fi in 2003. And they sounded lifeless. NO dynamic range, NO midbass. No nothing, really. And, as i recall, the other components were a Lector 7tl cd player, Dynaudio speakers and a tubed amp (forget which one). If I hadn’t trusted that Harry’s gushing review of the amps was not a mistake, I might never have bought them. I got them instead from another dealer - without listening. The amps were dazzling right out of the crates. Lyric’s setup was just flat our poor. I suspect they didn’t care, because I’ve never heard a demo that bad. They clearly did not listen to it after they set it up, because that demo - they left me in the room alone - was truly the worst I can remember hearing. But that is not all that rare. I’ve heard some pretty mediocre setups in dealer's rooms since 1984, and given the price tags, that was not a vote of confidence for whatever dealer I was visiting.
So many stories of "heard this, not impressed" don’t ever seem to register with the listener that maybe its the setup. The likelihood of a WATT - even the 1986 version - sounding less than thrilling, just tells me the setup was off in some way.
I hew toward Skinzy’s comment. Once a component is changed in a system, unless one is COMPLETELY FAMILIAR with the replaced component, the conclusion one had before the change goes out the window. Unfamiliarity with anything in the system - and I do mean anything - can change the tonal balance, dynamics and everything else. i have found it intensely annoying how many mediocre setups I’ve heard in dealers’ showrooms. And this was back in the ’80s and ’90s. I can completely understand why some people think some of this hobby is ’snake oil.’ It’s not in most cases, but I get why people shout it so loudly. Of course, there are far fewer mortar and brick establishments - with knowledgeable (about music) salespeople, so what people hear is often not scaling the heights of musical awesomeness. What a shame.
